Mon, 21 October 2024
Recent zoological research has shown us that a wide range of animals are likely to have sentience. We don't know for sure. There is sufficient evidence to think that it is likely that, for example, lobsters can feel pain. What should we do in the light of this? Jonathan Birch of the LSE, author of The Edge of Sentience, discusses this important question with Nigel Warburton.
Direct download: Jonathan_Birch_on_the_Edge_of_Sentience.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 5:03pm GMT |
Tue, 24 September 2024
The Cambridge philosopher Frank Ramsey died aged 26, but in a short brilliant life he made significant contributions to philosphy and economics. Here in the Bio Bites strand of Philosophy Bites David Edmonds discusses Ramsey's life and thought with his biographer Cheryl Misak.
Direct download: Cheryl_Misak_on_Frank_Ramseys_Life_and_Thought.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 1:37pm GMT |
Sun, 4 August 2024
Moral heroes are usually thought of as people who go beyond what is obligatory. Elizabeth Harman discusses whether sometimes we ought to act as moral heroes. She is in conversation with David Edmonds for this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. |
Fri, 14 June 2024
Can AI help us make difficult moral decisions? Walter Sinnott Armstrong explores this idea in conversation with David Edmonds in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.
Direct download: Walter_Sinnott_Armstrong_on_AI_and_Morality.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:23am GMT |
Wed, 10 April 2024
David Edmonds discusses the life and work of Derek Parfit who died in 2017 in this episode of the Bio Bites strand of Philosophy. David is the author of a recent biography of Parfit.
Direct download: David_Edmonds_on_the_Life_and_Philosophy_of_Derek_Parfit.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 6:26pm GMT |
Wed, 10 April 2024
Yascha Mounk discusses some of the ways in which focussing on gender, racial, and sexual identities can distort political argument and be counterproductive for oppressed minorities.
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Thu, 14 March 2024
J.L.Austin was the best known exponent of what came to be known as Ordinary Language Philosophy. He was also a war hero. In this episode of the Bio Bites strand of the Philosophy Bites podcast David Edmonds discusses Austin's life and work with his biographer Mark Rowe. |
Mon, 19 February 2024
In this episode James Klagge discusses the life and times of Ludwig Wittgenstein with David Edmonds. This is part of our mini series on the biographies of philosophers, Bio Bites. |
Mon, 22 January 2024
Direct download: David_Chalmers_on_Technophilosophy_and_the_Extended_Mind.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 7:19am GMT |
Mon, 27 November 2023
What happens when people have sexual desires for one another? Agnes Callard from the University of Chicago discusses sex, eroticism, and much more in conversation with Nigel Warburton. Not surprisingly, this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast involves mention of sex. |
Mon, 16 October 2023
Augustine is usually described as a pessimist with a bleak view of human evil and corruption. Michael Lamb thinks that is a simplistic reading. Augustine has interesting things to say about hope as a virtue.
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Wed, 27 September 2023
AI has changed our lives already and looks set to have a huge impact. How should we adapt our thinking about political philosophy in the light of this? The philosopher Seth Lazar explores this question in conversation with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.
Direct download: Seth_Lazar_on_Political_Philosophy_in_the_Age_of_AI.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 4:55pm GMT |
Wed, 27 September 2023
In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Nigel Warburton interviews Hannah Dawson (editor of The Penguin Book of Feminist Writing) on Mary Wollstonecraft and her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792).
Direct download: Hannah_Dawson_on_Mary_Wollstonecraft.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 12:54pm GMT |
Wed, 16 August 2023
What is the relationship between law and morality? How do they differ? Scott Hershovitz discusses these questions with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.
Direct download: Scott_Hershovitz_on_Law_and_Morality.m4a
Category:general -- posted at: 10:32am GMT |
Tue, 20 June 2023
Digital ethics is a new field. But what is it, what is its scope? In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Carissa Véliz, author of Privacy is Power and editor of The Oxford Handbook of Digital Ethics, discusses these topics with Nigel Warburton. Philosophy Bites is brought to you by the team of David Edmonds and Nigel Warburton. We've been running since 2007. |
Mon, 8 May 2023
You might not have an obligation to risk your life saving other people, but if you do, you should go for saving the greatest number. That's more or less what Theon Pummer believes. Listen to him discussing the morality of rescue with David Edmonds in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast
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Thu, 9 March 2023
In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast David Edmonds interviews Will MacAskill on the controversial idea that we ought to give the interests of future people substantial weight when deciding what we ought to do now.
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Thu, 9 March 2023
What is loneliness and why is it harmful? How does it differ from just being on your own? In the latest episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast, Kieran Setiya discusses this important topic with Nigel Warburton.
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Sun, 27 November 2022
How should we live? This is the basic question for all of us. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Edith Hall, author of the book Aristotle's Way, gives a sympathetic answer to Aristotle's take on this question. |
Sat, 8 October 2022
We have all had transformative experiences. But do they have philosophical relevance? Laurie Paul believes they do. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast she discusses this fascinating topic with Nigel Warburton.
Direct download: L.A._Paul_on_Transformative_Experience.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:24pm GMT |
Thu, 8 September 2022
How do you solve the question of collective self-government by citizens? Josiah Ober discusses a fundamental problem of democratic societies: how we come to agree on courses of action when we commit to living within a democracy. His argument is that we need to become civic friends, a concept he explains in the conversation. |
Mon, 1 August 2022
Skye Cleary approaches questions of human authenticity throught he lens of French Existentialism, and particularly through Simone de Beauvoir's thought. She is in conversation with Nigel Warburton. |
Fri, 1 July 2022
Developments in AI are coming very quickly. But it's not easy to work out how to deal with the ethical questions that AI generates. Peter Railton discusses AI and Ethics with Nigel Warburton for this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast |
Mon, 20 June 2022
We all make some modifications to our bodies. But often this is in response to social pressures. So is there something to say for the largely unmodified body? Clare Chambers thinks so. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast she spells out why. The interviewer is David Edmonds.
Direct download: Clare_Chambers_on_the_Unmodified_Body.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:52pm GMT |
Thu, 19 May 2022
Peter Singer is probably the most famous living philosopher. He recently won the million-dollar Berggruen Prize and promptly gave all that money to charity. His positions on this, on animals, poverty, altruism, and much else besides are underpinned by his consequentialism. Here, in conversation with Nigel Warburton he explains his consequentialism and its implications. |
Wed, 20 April 2022
Spying raises many ethical issues, but these are rarely discussed - at least by philosophers. Cécile Fabre, author of a recent book on the topic, Spying Through a Glass Darkly, discusses some of these issues with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. This episode is sponsored by The New European newspaper.
Direct download: Cecile_Fabre_on_the_Ethics_of_Spying.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:05pm GMT |
Fri, 18 March 2022
In this digital age, how can we organise society and the public sphere in ways that will preserve the sense of individual dignity? Ro Khanna, Congressman for Silicon Valley, and author of Dignity in a Digital Age, discusses this important topic with Nigel Warburton.
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Sat, 22 January 2022
In Oxford during the Second World War four women philosophers came to prominence. Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Iris Murdoch, and Mary Midgley were friends and met to discuss their ideas, particulary about ethics. Benjamin Lipscomb, author of a recent book about them, The Women Are Up To Something, speaks to David Edmonds in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.
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Sun, 19 December 2021
Do we seek pleasure and avoid pain? The moral psychologist Paul Bloom believes psychological hedonism gives an inaccurate picture of what motivates us. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast he discusses pain and pleasure with Nigel Warburton.
Direct download: Paul_Bloom_on_Psychological_Hedonism.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:07pm GMT |
Wed, 3 November 2021
Stoic philosophers described anger as a temporary madness and argued that we should eliminate it wherever possible. More recently Martha Nussbaum has argued for keeping anger out of political debates. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast, in contrast, Myisha Cherry makes the case for rage in some specific circumstances. She discusses rage with Nigel Warburton. |
Sat, 9 October 2021
We all do it. But is there anything philosophically interesting about complaining? Agnes Callard thinks there is. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast she discusses complaint with Nigel Warburton. |
Mon, 23 August 2021
Thomas Hobbes is best known as author of Leviathan which is usually read today for its theory of political authority. Here Arash Abizadeh discusses Hobbes' ethics, the theory of what we are and what are obligations are to each. |
Tue, 18 May 2021
Spinoza was famously heretical in his views. No surprise then that he defended free expression. Here Steven Nadler discusses Spinoza's views on this topic with Nigel Warburton. |
Mon, 8 March 2021
What is the status of something that is an absence, like a hole? Suki Finn explores the metaphysics of nothing in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Suki is also the editor of a new book based on Philosophy Bites interviews with women philosophers selected from our archive Women of Ideas, to be published by Oxford University Press in April.
Direct download: Suki_Finn_on_the_Metaphysics_of_Nothing.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:29pm GMT |
Thu, 18 February 2021
Jacques Derrida was a controversial philosopher whose writing could be fiendishly difficult to read. Nevertheless he had many followers. Here Pete Salmon, author of a recent biography of Derrida, manages to give a clear account of what Derrida meant by deconstruction. This episode was sponsored by St John's College. For more information about the college go to www.sjc.edu/podcast
Direct download: Peter_Salmon_on__Derrida_and_Deconstruction.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:06pm GMT |
Sun, 10 January 2021
Arthur Schopenhauer is best known for the deep pessimism of his book The World as Will and Representation. Here we focus on a slightly less pessimistic aspect of his philosophy: his views on compassion. Very unusually for an early nineteenth century thinker, he was influenced here by his reading of Indian philosophy. David Bather Woods is the interviewee. We are very grateful for sponsorship for this episode from St John's College.
Direct download: David_Bather_Woods_on_Schopenhauer_and_Compassion.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:08pm GMT |
Sun, 6 December 2020
Hannah Arendt's experience of the Eichmann trial in 1961 led her to reflect on the nature of politics, truth, and plurality. Samantha Rose Hill, author of a biography of Arendt, discusses the context for this, and the key features of Arendt's views.
Direct download: Samantha_Rose_Hill_on_Hannah_Arendt_on_Plurality.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:11pm GMT |
Sat, 28 November 2020
David Edmonds has co-authored a children's book, Undercover Robot. Here in this bonus episode (originally released on the Thinking Books podcast) he discusses it with Nigel Warburton. |
Thu, 12 November 2020
Baruch Spinoza was perhaps most famous for his equation of God with Nature - a view that his contemporaries, probably correctly, took to be atheist. But what did he think about death? Steven Nadler, author of A Book Forged in Hell and Think Least of Death, discusses this aspect of his thought with Nigel Warburton.
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Sun, 4 October 2020
In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Cornell philosopher Kate Manne discusses the notions of misogyny, male entitlement, and the term that she coined 'himpathy' with Nigel Warburton. |
Wed, 16 September 2020
Verificationists believe that every meaningful statement is either true by definition or else empirically verifiable (or falsifiable). Anything which fails to pass this two-pronged test for meaningfulness is neither true nor false, but literally meaningless. Liam Bright discusses Verificationism and its links with the Vienna Circle with David Edmonds in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. |
Tue, 7 July 2020
For this special episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast (produced under lockdown) Nigel Warburton interviews David Edmonds about his bestselling book, written with David Edinow, Wittgenstein's Poker. It focuses on a heated argument between the two great Viennese philosophers Karl Popper and Ludwig Wittgenstein, and the differing accounts that were give of it by those who were there.
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Wed, 24 June 2020
For this first of two special lockdown episodes of Philosophy Bites we interviewed each other. Here David Edmonds interviews Nigel Warburton about his bestseller A Little History of Philosophy. In the companion episode Nigel interviews David about his bestseller Wittgenstein's Poker.
Direct download: Nigel_Warburton_on_A_Little_HIstory_of_Philosophy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:57pm GMT |
Sat, 30 May 2020
Cheryl Misak has recently published a biography of F.P. Ramsey, the great Cambridge thinker who died at the age of only 26, but who nevertheless made a significant impact in several different fields including philosophy, mathematics, and economics. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast she discusses Ramsey's interactions with Wittgenstein. The two thinkers had very different personal styles and their philosophies reflect this.
Direct download: Cheryl_Misak_on_Frank_Ramsey_and_Ludwig_Wittgenstein.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:01pm GMT |
Sat, 9 May 2020
Philip Goff discusses some of Galileo's insights into the nature of matter. He then goes on to discuss his own view about consciousness, panpsychism. Goff believes that matter is conscious at some level.
Direct download: Philip_Goff_on_Galileo_and_Consciousness.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:19pm GMT |
Sun, 19 April 2020
In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast, recorded before the Covid-19 lockdowns, the political philosopher Elizabeth Anderson explains why we need to be prepared to talk more, even with people with whom we strongly disagree.
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Wed, 5 February 2020
What is free will? Do we have it? These are difficult questions. Neuroscience seems to point in the direction of determinism. But Christian List suggests that there might still be room for genuine free will.
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Mon, 21 October 2019
Some philosophers have drawn very strange conclusions about the nature of reality. Despite this Emily Thomas believes that their work may still be worth studying. They usually have had good reasons for what they concluded. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast she discusses several wildly implausible metaphysical theories with Nigel Warburton. We are grateful for support from the Marc Sanders Foundation and from our Patreon donors.
Direct download: Emily_Thomas_on_Wildly_Implausible_Metaphysics.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:10pm GMT |
Sat, 21 September 2019
Are thought experiments the best way of doing practical ethics? Not according to James Wilson. He thinks we need the rich detail of real cases or complex imaginary cases not a simplified version of reality to make sense of the moral problems we face. We are grateful for support for this episode from the Marc Sanders Foundation and from our supporters on Patreon. |
Mon, 8 July 2019
In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast, Kate Kirkpatrick, author of a new biography of Beauvoir, Becoming Beauvoir, discusses the relationship between the life and work of Simone de Beauvoir. Beauvoir is often portrayed as applying Jean-Paul Sartre's existentialism to the condition of women. Is this a fair assessment? We are grateful for support from the Marc Sanders Foundation.
Direct download: _Kate_Kirkpatrick_on_the_Life_and_Thought_of_Simone_de_Beauvoir.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:16pm GMT |
Tue, 21 May 2019
'What is a woman?' has become a contentious question with practical implications. The philosopher Kathleen Stock gives an account of the category 'woman' and how we should think about it. She gives a different answer to this question which Amia Srinivassan addressed in a previous Philosophy Bites interview on this topic. |
Mon, 25 February 2019
Christian Miller believes that there is a character gap, a gap between what we think we are like morally and how we actually behave. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast he explores the psychology of moral behaviour, and how we can become better people. We are grateful for support from the Marc Sanders Foundation.
Direct download: Christian_Miller_on_the_Character_Gap.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:53am GMT |
Mon, 25 February 2019
Where did ethics come from? Philip Pettit tells an 'as if' story about the birth of ethics that is designed to illuminate what ethics is and why it evolved on this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. We are grateful for support from the Marc Sanders Foundation and from Patreon donors for this episode.
Direct download: Philip_Pettit_on_the_Birth_of_Ethics.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:22am GMT |
Mon, 14 January 2019
Philosophers often talk about possible worlds. Is this just a way of describing counterfactual situations? As Helen Beebee explains, some of them believe that possible worlds actually exist. This episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast is supported by the Marc Sanders Foundation and by Patreon donations. |
Tue, 27 November 2018
Throughout its history there have been challenges to the status of philosophy. Paul Sagar discusses some of these in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. We are grateful for support from the Marc Sanders Foundation in making this podcast, and for donations from Patreon patrons.
Direct download: Paul_Sagar_on_Scepticism_about_Philosophy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:09pm GMT |
Sun, 7 October 2018
Is it always good to be trustworthy? Can trustworthiness come into conflict with other values, such as generosity? Katherine Hawley discusses these and other questions about trustworthiness with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. We are grateful for support from the Marc Sanders Foundation and from our Patreon subscribers for this episode. |
Mon, 20 August 2018
Civility is a conversational virtue that governs how people talk to each other. How important is it in political life? In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Teresa Bejan discusses this manner of speaking and writing and its history. We are grateful for sponsorship for this episode from the Marc Sanders Foundation and from our Patreon patrons. |
Mon, 23 July 2018
You can overdo most things, but can you overdo democracy? Political philosopher Robert B. Talisse thinks you can. He explains why in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. We are very grateful for sponsorship from the Marc Sanders Foundation for this episode.
Direct download: Robert_B._Talisse_on_Overdoing_Democracy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:06pm GMT |
Mon, 7 May 2018
Robert Wright believes that there are a number of key tenets of Buddhism which are both compatible with present day evolutionary theory, and accurate about our relationship with the world and with our own minds. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast he discusses Buddhism, reality, and the mind, with interviewer Nigel Warburton.
We are also grateful for the continuing support we receive from donations on Patreon and Paypal.
Direct download: Robert_Wright_on_Why_Buddhism_is_True.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:30pm GMT |
Mon, 2 April 2018
How can we best help other people? Peter Singer has argued that we should give aid. Despite a lifetime spent believing this, Larry Temkin has started to question whether the effects of aid are beneficial. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast he discusses some qualms about Peter Singer's arguments.
Direct download: Larry_Temkin_on_The_Obligations_to_the_Needy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:02pm GMT |
Wed, 14 February 2018
Do states have a moral right to exclude people from their territory? It might seem obvious that states do have such a right, but Sarah Fine questions this in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. This episode of Philosophy Bites was sponsored by the Examining Ethics podcast from the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University. You can subscribe to Examining Ethics on iTunes or listen to episodes at ExaminingEthics.Org |
Thu, 11 January 2018
How do I know I'm not dreaming? This sort of question has puzzled philosophers for thousands of years. Eric Schwitzgebel discusses scepticism and its history with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. This episode of Philosophy Bites was sponsored by the Examining Ethics podcast from the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University. You can subscribe to Examining Ethics on iTunes or listen to episodes at ExaminingEthics.Org
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Sun, 10 December 2017
What is a robustly demanding good, and what has that got to do with friendship and love? Find out in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast in which Nigel Warburton interviews Princeton Professor Philip Pettit about this topic.
Direct download: Philip_Pettit_on_Robustly_Demanding_Goods.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:18pm GMT |
Mon, 6 November 2017
Philosophers talk about 'knowing how' and 'knowing what'. But what is involved in knowing a person? Katalin Farkas discusses this question with David Edmonds in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. This episode was sponsored by the Examining Ethics podcast from the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University. |
Tue, 29 August 2017
Are human beings fundamentally different from the rest of the animal world? Can what we essentially are be captured in a biological or evolutionary description? Roger Scruton discusses the nature of human nature with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. |
Wed, 19 July 2017
The Hard Problem of consciousness is the difficulty of reconciling experience with materialism. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast, in conversation with Nigel Warburton, Anil Seth, a neuroscientist, explains his alternative approach to consciousness,which he labels the 'Real Problem. Anil is a Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellow.
Direct download: Anil_Seth_on_the_Real_Problem_of_Consciousness.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:46am GMT |
Mon, 26 June 2017
Why does apparently trivial ritual play such an important part in some ancient Chinese philosophy? Michael Puett, co-author of The Path, explains in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. This episode of Philosophy Bites was sponsored by the Examining Ethics podcast from the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University. You can subscribe to Examining Ethics on iTunes or listen to episodes at ExaminingEthics.Org
Direct download: Michael_Puett_on_Ritual_in_Chinese_Philosophy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:12pm GMT |
Tue, 30 May 2017
What is Art? That's not an easy question to answer. Some philosophers even think it can't be answered. Aaron Meskin discusses this question on this episode of Aesthetics Bites. Aesthetics Bites is a podcast series of interviews with top thinkers in the philosophy of art. It is a collaboration between the London Aesthetics Forum and Philosophy Bites and is made possible by a grant from the British Society of Aesthetics.
Direct download: Aaron_Meskin_on_the_Definition_of_Art.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:53pm GMT |
Tue, 18 April 2017
The process of dying can be horrible for many, but is there anything bad about death itself? The obvious answer is that deprives us of something that we might otherwise have experienced. But that leads to further philosophical issues...Shelly Kagan discusses some of these with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.
Direct download: Shelly_Kagan_on_Death_and_Deprivation.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:45pm GMT |
Tue, 18 April 2017
We certainly disagree about aesthetic judgments in a range of cases. But is anyone right? Is there no disputing about taste? Are all tastes equal? Elisabeth Schellekens Damman discusses disagreement about taste in this episode of Aesthetics Bites. Aesthetics Bites is a podcast series of interviews with top thinkers in the philosophy of art. It is a collaboration betwen the London Aesthetics Forum and Philosophy Bites and is made possible by a grant from the British Society of Aesthetics.
Direct download: Elisabeth_Schellekens_on_Disgareement_about_Taste.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00pm GMT |
Sat, 18 March 2017
Andy Clark, who with David Chalmers proposed the theory of the extended mind, explains what he means by this idea in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. |
Wed, 1 March 2017
Why do we have art at all? There must be some evolutionary explanation. In this episode of the Aesthetics Bites podcast series, Stephen Davies discusses some of the evolutionary theories about where art came from in conversation with Nigel Warburton. Aesthetics Bites is a podcast series of interviews with top thinkers in the philosophy of art. It is a collaboration between the London Aesthetics Forum and Philosophy Bites and is made possible by a grant from the British Society of Aesthetics . |
Wed, 1 March 2017
In this episode of Aesthetics Bites, Eileen John discusses some of the ways that art explores moral questions. Nigel Warburton is the interviewer. Aesthetics Bites is a series of interviews with top thinkers in the philosophy of art. It is a collaboration between the London Aesthetics Forum and Philosophy Bites and is made possible by a grant from the British Society of Aesthetics.
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Fri, 3 February 2017
Why do we have consciousness at all? Neuroscientist Chris Frith discusses this question with Nigel Warburton in this episode of Mind Bites which is part of a series made in association with Philosophy Bites for Nick Shea's AHRC-funded Meaning for the Brain and Meaning for the Person project.
Direct download: Chris_Frith_on_the_Point_of_Consciousness.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:21am GMT |
Sat, 14 January 2017
One distinctive feature of human beings is that we can represent aspects of the world to ourselves, and also counterfactual situations. We do this through our conscious thoughts. Keith Frankish discusses this phenomenon in this episode of Mind Bites, which was made as part of Nicholas Shea's ASHRC-funded Meaning for the Brain and Meaning for the Person project. |
Sun, 1 January 2017
'What is a woman?' may seem a straightforward question, but it isn't. Feminist philosophers from Simone de Beauvoir onwards have had a great deal to say on this topic. Amia Srinivasan gives a lucid introduction to some of the key positions in this debate in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. She is talking to Nigel Warburton.
Direct download: Amia_Srinivasan_on_What_is_a_Woman__2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:18pm GMT |
Mon, 5 December 2016
Neuroscientist Kate Jeffery discusses how the brain represents the world. This episode is is part of a short series Mind Bites made in association with Nicholas Shea's AHRC-funded Meaning for the Brain and Meaning for the Person project. That website is open for comments and discussion of the topic of this podcast.
Direct download: Kate_Jeffery_on_Concepts_and_Representation.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:51pm GMT |
Fri, 2 December 2016
Pierre Bayle was one of the best-known philosophers in the Eighteenth Century, but his work is now rarely studied. Anthony Gottlieb, author of The Dream of Enlightenment, argues that he should be better known, particularly his work on toleration and on scepticism. |
Sat, 12 November 2016
How should we understand the emotions that readers feel about fictional characters? Kathleen Stock discusses this question with Nigel Warburton in this, the second episode of Aesthetics Bites, a collaboration between the London Aesthetics Forum and Philosophy Bites, made possibly by a grant from the British Society of Aesthetics.
Direct download: Kathleen_Stock_on_Fiction_and_the_Emotions.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:20pm GMT |
Sat, 12 November 2016
Immigration is one of the major, and most contentious, political issues of our day. Can philosophy help here? David Miller thinks so. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast he speaks to David Edmonds about border controls and their justification. |
Tue, 11 October 2016
What is laughter? What roles does it serve? Sophie Scott, a neuroscientist, discusses this serious question with Nigel Warburton for this episode of Mind Bites, a series made in association with Philosophy Bites as part of Nicholas Shea's AHRC-funded Meaning for the Brain and Meaning for the Person project
Direct download: Sophie_Scott_on_the_Meaning_of_Laughter.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:08pm GMT |
Mon, 3 October 2016
Do we map the world in our minds? Does that imply that we have a little inner map-reader in our heads interpreting mental representations? Peter Godfrey-Smith discusses these issues with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. This episode is is part of a short series Mind Bites made in association with Nicholas Shea's AHRC-funded Meaning for the Brain and Meaning for the Person project.
Direct download: Peter_Godfrey-Smith_on_Mental_Representations.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:54am GMT |
Sun, 2 October 2016
Noel Carroll argues that evaluation is a central element of criticism of art, drama, dance, music, and literature. Nigel Warburton is the interviewer for this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. This is the first of a series of 6 interviews on Aesthetics, made in association with the London Aesthetics Forum and made possible by a grant from the British Society of Aesthetics. |
Tue, 20 September 2016
How should we remember and commemorate those who die in war? What about the enemy dead? Cecile Fabre discusses this issue with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. |
Mon, 1 August 2016
Many philosophers deny the common sense view that we think with pictures. Are they right to do so? Jesse Prinz doesn't think so. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast he explains to Nigel Warburton why we need to think again about thinking with pictures. This episode is part of the series Mind Bites, made in association with Nicholas Shea's AHRC-sponsored Meaning for the Brain and Meaning for the Person project.
Direct download: Jesse_Prinz_on_Thinking_with_Pictures.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30pm GMT |
Wed, 6 July 2016
The mid-life crisis is a well-observed phenomenon. Is there a philosophical angle on this? MIT philosopher Kieran Setiya thinks there is. He discusses it in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. |
Mon, 30 May 2016
Epicureanism has been caricatured as a philosophy of indulgence. But what did followers of the Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus really believe? Catherine Wilson discusses Epicureanism with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. |
Tue, 26 April 2016
If determinism is true, can there be any justification for punishment? Gregg Caruso discusses this issue on Philosophy Bites.
Direct download: Gregg_Caruson_on_Freewill_and_Punishment.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:09pm GMT |
Sat, 26 March 2016
This episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast focuses on several questions about representation and perception in the philosophy of film. Nigel Warburton talks to Greg Currie.
Direct download: Greg_Currie_on_the_Philosophy_of_Film.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:35pm GMT |
Wed, 2 March 2016
Maurice Merleau-Ponty was one of the most interesting of the French phenomenological thinkers, but his reputation has been eclipsed by those of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. Katherine Morris discusses some of Merleau-Ponty's ideas about the body in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.
Direct download: Katherine_Morris_on_Merleau-Ponty_on_the_Body.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:56pm GMT |
Sun, 14 February 2016
Does the word 'Gödel' straightforwardly refer to the person who came up with the incompleteness theory of arithmetic? Some think the best way to find out to ask people about their intuitions on the topic? This creates all kinds of problems, as Michael Devitt explains in conversation with Nigel Warburton.
Direct download: Michael_Devitt_on_Experimental_Semantics.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:21am GMT |
Fri, 29 January 2016
Steven E. Hyman discusses the philosophical issues that arise from attempting to categorise mental disorders with David Edmonds in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.
Direct download: Steven_Hyman_on_Categorising_Mental_Disorders.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:54am GMT |
Sun, 10 January 2016
Where does our oil come from? Does it matter? Leif Wenar, author of the recent book Blood Oil, argues that Western democracies are compromising themselves by buying either directly or indirectly from vicious tyrants. |
Wed, 16 December 2015
In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Katrin Flikschuh addresses the question 'What sort of philosophy is going on in Africa?'
Direct download: Katrin_Flikschuh_on_Philosophy_in_Africa.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:29am GMT |
Sun, 29 November 2015
Some eminent physicists, including Stephen Hawking, have been sceptical of the value of philosophy to physics. Carlo Rovelli, a theoretical physicist with a strong interest in philosophy, disagrees. Here he discusses the relationship between philosophy and physics with Nigel Warburton.
Direct download: Carlo_Rovelli_on_Philosophy_and_Physics.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:19pm GMT |
Tue, 17 November 2015
What sort of conclusions can we legitimately draw from the experiments that support evidence-based medicine? John Worrall questions some of the received opinion on this topic in this interview with David Edmonds for Philosophy Bites.
Direct download: John_Worrall_on_Evidence-Based_Medicine.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:20pm GMT |
Sat, 31 October 2015
We take for granted the fact that we can combine concepts to give new thoughts, and understand the thoughts too. How do we do that? Joshua D. Greene discusses this question in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.
Direct download: Joshua_Greene_on_the_Construction_of_Thought.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:21pm GMT |
Tue, 13 October 2015
What is the nature of the self? What is reality? How should we live? These are fundamental philosophical questions. Graham Priest discusses how such questions have been discussed in the Buddhist tradition for this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.
Direct download: Graham_Priest_on_Buddhism_and_Philosophy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:50pm GMT |
Sun, 27 September 2015
To what degree is reality something created by us? Jesse Prinz explores this fascinating question in conversation with Nigel Warburton.
Direct download: Jesse_Prinz_on_Is_Everything_Socially_Constructed_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:32pm GMT |
Sun, 13 September 2015
How can you tell science from non-science? Karl Popper argued that the falsifiability of a hypothesis is the mark of science. Massimo Pigliucci is not so sure about that.
Direct download: Massimo_Pigliucci_on_The_Demarcation_Problem.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am GMT |